East Pallet High New Beginning
by HutchinsVW
Summary: Dawn is forced to live with her Aunt in Pallet Town after a tragic incident involving her mother. She will attend EPH and this is her story. PS, CS, OS, RVS, 60% PS POV's, 40% rest
1. The Character Intros

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon in any way shape or form._  
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**Welcome to my _first_ Fanfic!**

**A little background info: I kinda disappeared from the Pokémon scene all together not long after I beat my Pokémon Emerald Version :P. I guess it was a phase, but over the last few months I've been trying to get caught up watching old and new episodes and the DP Series definitely stood out in my opinion. The bond between Ash and Dawn seemed incredibly strong compared to previous series'. Not gonna lie, the last DP episode definitely stung a little and BW is slowing growing on me, but I can't connect to it like the older series'. I am really hoping for Dawn to make a comeback, even if for a couple episodes.**

**Anyway, this is a High School setting (rather common, eh?) and I've read alot of the PearlShipping Fanfics on here and it has inspired me to make my own!**

**Now onto Character Intros!**

**Ash:** _17, __Junior, __the Popular guy_. Athletic and messy Raven colored hair, Ash Ketchum stands at 6'1"; he's Point Guard/Captain of the Varsity Basketball team. Despite all of the attention he is rather dense when it comes to romantic encounters (It doesn't hurt his popularity that he has a "cute" Pikachu who uses its swagger to flirt with every girl in school) Also, being one of the better looking guys in school helps too.

**Dawn:** _16,__ Sophomore,__ the New Girl_. Beautiful, with long, Deep Sapphire colored hair and eyes to match and a slim 5'5", Dawn Berlitz automatically has every guy drooling at her feet. The unwanted attention makes her uneasy and shy around the guys in the group (one in particular ;P) She begins attending East Pallet High as she is forced to move in with her Aunt after a tragic incident involving her Mother, Johanna.

**Drew:** _17,_ _Junior,__ the Heartthrob_. Drew Rose has Mint-Green hair and stands roughly 6'. With his charm and romantic personality, it's no contest that every girl wants him. He has his eyes set on only one girl though, and has been known on multiple occasions to give her a rose.

**May:** _16,_ _Sophomore,__the Friend_. Brunette with fit figure at about 5'5", May Maple's outgoing personality allows her to befriend people easily, which is exactly what she does to Dawn. She is always there to listen to anything people want to open to her about. She also has a mean appetite, only comparable to Ash's.

**Gary:** _18,__ Junior,__ the Brainiac/Comedian_. Spiky haired brunette, Gary Oak is probably the smartest of the group (he plans on following in his grandfather's footsteps) but can also be the most immature with his constant pranks and poking fun at others.

**Zoey:** _17__,__Junior,__ the__ Hardhe__ad_. Fiery red hair and at only 5'6", Zoey Blaze has a temper to match that of an agitated Primeape. She doesn't like taking advice and most definitely is not scared of anyone or thing.

**Tracey:** _18,__ Senior,_ _the Artist_. Tracey Sketchit stands at 6' tall with medium length black hair with a headband. He spends a lot of time at Professor Oak's Lab after school and sketches the Pokémon at the ranch. He became friends with Gary there and is why he hangs out with the group.

**Misty:** _18,_ _Senior,_ _the Flirt_. Sun kissed orange hair in a short ponytail, 5'6" Misty Waterflower doesn't play around when it comes to boys. She constantly flirts with guys in the group; none accept the advances, except for Tracey that is.

**Paul:** _17,_ _Junior,_ _the Bad Boy_. With mid length lavender colored hair, Paul Shinji stood at 5'10" and was the guy who could care the least about anything. Apparently, he has history with Ash when they got into a fight in 8th grade over how Paul was treating his Pokémon. Things haven't changed as of the start of this story.

**Barry:** _17, Junior, the Impatient_. With his medium length blonde hair, Barry Jun stands at 5'11" and has an ability to run into everyone, thus knocking them down. It occasionally gets him into fights, but he just goes on to "fine" people unknown amounts of money.

**Kenny:** _16,__ Sophomore,_ _the Jealous_. Kenny Kengo has deep crimson hair and is relatively short, at only 5'8". He has known Dawn since they were in Kindergarten and insists on calling her "Dee Dee". Dawn takes strong offense to this name and they are constantly bickering. Kenny uses this as a form of flirting but becomes jealous of Ash later on.

**Brock:** _19, Senior, the Broken Heart. _Standing at 6'1" with brown spiky hair, Brock Harrison is basically the male version of Misty, except that NONE of the girls he makes advances to even acknowledge him. He is also part timing at Pewter City GYM as the leader. He plans on becoming a World Class Breeder and using his GYM leader salary to pay for the post-secondary education.

**Aunt Savannah:** _38, Dawn's Aunt, the Guardian. _She has medium length, curly, navy blue hair and is roughly 5'6". She is always there for Dawn (or anyone for that matter) for no matter how embarrassing she could be, she can also be one of the most comforting people out there.

**Please take the time to R&R these intros, feedback is extremely important to me being this is my first work!**

**Any suggestions are being welcomed as well.**

**EDIT: Added Brock and Savannah's Intros 1/12/2012  
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	2. Losses and Promises

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form.**_

**Me: Alright! Who's ready to get this thing started?**

**Everyone: We all are!**

**Me: Well… That's good! Oh, by the way Dawn, I didn't mean to make you sad **

**Dawn: What are you talking about? *looks at me with a worried face***

**Ash: No need to worry, Dawn. I'll be there *Trademark goofy smile***

**Me: No you won't, this is the events leading up to Dawn enrolling at EPH… so you don't even know her yet. This chapter is gonna make you sad Dawn **

**Ash&Dawn: Oh…**

**Me: BEGIN!**

It's a chilly Mid-January night in the little town of Twinleaf. Not a stirring Pokémon to be found, seeing as most have all migrated or hibernated by this time. A peaceful night indeed, but that all is about to change as one teenage girls life is about to take a turn for the worse.

We find said sapphire haired teenager sleeping peacefully in her bed, not a care in the world. We find her small blue penguin companion resting cozily at the food of the bed. This little guy is called Piplup and he was Dawn's Starter Pokémon when she became old enough to own one. That was 6 years ago, at the age of 10, yet this Piplup still refuses to evolve and has grown to love its spot on the bed.

It is almost 3 A.M. as we find our little penguin friend beginning to stir and soon wakes from its slumber to head for a drink of water downstairs. He carefully opens the door of the bedroom and drowsily makes its way down the steps, almost falling several times. He finally locates his water bowl near the kitchen and begins to drink. After a minute a faint smell can be sensed throughout the living room. Being the mischievous and curious Pokémon he is, Piplup just had to investigate. He looked over to the lamp, which was the source of the smoke and what he saw would strike fear into any human being instantly.

There, at the base of the lamp near the wall outlet was a small flame. Piplup watched, being mesmerized by the bright blue/green flame being produced by the electrical fire. What happened next, we could've only foresaw, as the fire spread to the curtains right behind the couch and soon half of the living room was engulfed in flames.

In a panic, Piplup began throwing bubblebeams everywhere, but to no avail. He frantically made his way upstairs, yelling at the top of his little lungs the whole way.

"Pip!Pi-Piplup!Lup!"

Hearing the commotion, Dawn is woken to a startled Piplup jumping around pointing down the stairs at her door.

"Piplup, what's wrong? Did you spill your water again?" Dawn asked, unknowingly. Soon she began to smell that can only be described as pure terror. "Smells like something is burning!" Soon slight grey smog appeared above Piplup. "Is that smoke?" Dawn rushed down the stairs to find the most horrifying sight she could've seen as there was an inferno in what, a couple of hours ago, was the most peaceful room in the house. She hurried back up the steps to her mother's room and woke her, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Mom! Mom, wake up! There's a fire downstairs!" Dawn said yelling at the top of her lungs. "Wh-What?" was all that Johanna could muster.

The trio took off down the steps and found that the fire had only grown even more intense. They thought they were done for sure until Piplup noticed a small path that could possibly allow an escape.

"Pip-Piplup!" the penguin screeched in frenzy while pointing to the path.

"Dawn! I want you to go outside and wait for me. I'm going back to my room to grab the phone" Johanna exclaimed. "Mom! I'm not leaving without you!" Dawn cried frantically.

"Dawn, trust me. You've got to be strong and get out of here. I'll be out soon I promise" Johanna said with soft smile. "S-So, No need to worry?" Dawn asked looking for confirmation. "No need to worry, Dawn. Now, hurry! Get outside!"

Dawn bolted through the fire, following Piplup, who used his bubblebeams to make sure the path stayed clear. She managed to reach the door and rushed outside and into the street. She turned around and faced the house and all she saw was the biggest blaze she had ever seen in her life. It had to reach at least 70' in the air. She began screaming, yelling for people to call 911, and soon the street began to fill with the town of Twinleaf gathered in front of the house. Dawn could only watch as she started hearing cracking and pieces of the house began falling.

"Mom! Where are you?" Dawn screamed. She was soon approached by her neighbor Ricky. "Dawn, where's Johanna?" Ricky asked in a worried tone.

"She said she was going for the phone and told me to go outside, but that was 2 minutes ago! She should've been out by now!" Dawn said bursting into tears. As faint sounds of sirens grew louder, everyone's worst fear was now becoming reality. The house began to collapse on itself and soon it was nothing more than a burning pile of timbers.

"M-mom! N-no, it can't be! Mom!" Dawn cried as she began running to the burning pile of embers, only to be held back by a fireman. "Let go of me! My mother is in there!" Dawn said glaring at the fireman. "Miss, you can't go over there, you'll most certainly be burned severely. I'm afraid it's too late for your mother… Sorry." The fireman said with a solemn face, his head hung low. Dawn fell to her knees and stayed there astonished as the sight before her. She could only begin bawling right there in the middle of the street, receiving comfort from anyone who would step forward. In a matter of a few minutes, her mother had been taken from her and Piplup. She then remembered the promise she made to her mom not too long ago…

_***Flashback***_

"_Dawn" _

"_Yes, mother?" Dawn asked._

"_I need you to promise me something." Johanna asked with a serious face._

"_What is it?" Dawn asked again unaware of the conversation that was about to take place._

"_I need you to promise me that, no matter what happens to me, that you won't let it slow you down and stop you from achieving your dreams." Johanna asked with a soft, sad smile._

"_Mom, why are you saying this?" Dawn asked with a worried, concerned look on her face._

"_Well, I know that after you graduate high school, you are going to pursue your dream of being a Top Coordinator," Johanna continued, "and I need to know that if something happened to me while you were off on a journey, that you wouldn't let it stop your dreams."_

_Dawn was really worried now and just gave her a slow nod. "Dawn I need to hear you say it" Johanna said with seriousness. "O-ok, mom. I promise that no matter what, I will continue my dream should anything happen to you" Dawn said with shakiness in her voice._

"_Good, that's all I needed to know." Johanna said with a heartwarming smile._

_***End Flashback***_

Dawn hadn't thought much of the conversation since then. She had pushed out of her mind because she couldn't stand the thought of something happening to her mother. But now, it was fresh in her mind and there was no way she was about to let her mother down now.

"Ma'am, may I have a word with you?" a man said. "Uhm, s-sure" Dawn replied. "I need to know if you have any living relatives." The man asked. "The only relative I know of is my Aunt Savannah that lives in Pallet Town in the Kanto Region" Dawn replied. "Ok, that is all I need to know, thank you."

_*One week later*_

After her mother's funeral, the man Dawn spoke with the night of the fire approached her and told her she had to go live with her Aunt, since she was the only known living relative that Dawn had. She was also told that she would have to enroll at Pallet Town High, and that the new semester was starting in a week.

"You know Piplup; I haven't seen my Aunt Savannah in years…" Dawn trailed off. "I wonder if I will even remember her that well or if she even cares for me." Dawn said with a sad look on her face.

"Pip-Piplup!" Piplup remarked as if saying, "Even if she doesn't, I will always be there for you Dawn," huffing and puffing while it hit its chest showing pride and confidence.

"Thanks Piplup, you're the best Pokémon anyone could ask for." Dawn replied with a hug and warm smile.

The Ferry arrives at Vermillion Port, a beautiful scene with many boats in the harbor, shops, a gym, and even a Pokémon Fan Club. "_Maybe this Kanto region won't be so bad after all"_ Dawn happily thought to herself.

Soon after she disembarked the S.S. Anne, Dawn located her Aunt Savannah with ease. Maybe it was because she was the only one with the Dark blue hair yelling "Dawn!" while holding a big "OVER HERE DAWN!" sign above her head. Dawn just sweatdropped at the scene and thought _"I guess she does remember me after all, and she still has her outgoing and embarrassing characteristics…"_

"Hey, Auntie Savannah!" Dawn cried as she approached the older woman. She had to be well in her 30's but she only had a few noticeable traits to prove it. "Oh, Dawn I'm so glad I get to see you again! Although, I wish it wasn't under these conditions." She said in a solemn and remorseful voice.

"Hey, Auntie, No need to worry alright?" Dawn said with a sad smile. "We should go shopping to pick out some new school clothes since all of mine are gone."

"Oh, your right! We need to get you some new clothes! Come, come now. Let's go get you some nice clothes for school Monday!" Savannah replied.

They hopped on the next bus that would be heading to Celadon City. Aunt Savannah explained how Celadon City is THE place to be for shopping and just Ladies Day Out's in general. With all the perfume being produced at the Gym, to the huge Department store, it was just guaranteed fun for any girl. After about a 45 minute ride, the bus finally arrived in Celdaon City and Dawn exited it and inhaled deeply. She soon went into a state of almost euphoria at the fragrance in the air. She squealed and said "I am REALLY going to enjoy living in Kanto now!"

"That's the spirit Dawn!" Savannah replied, "now let's go shopping!"

At those words, a spark went down Dawn's spark and her eyes went wide and twinkled then zoned out for a second, mouth agape. "Dawn?" Savannah asked in a low voice. Without warning Dawn took off into the city, leaving a trail of dust behind her and leaving her Aunt standing there wondering just what exactly she had gotten herself into.

Dawn was running around nonstop, tearing apart every single store she could find. They went through the whole Department store. I don't mean the one floor dedicated to trainer gear, but the ENTIRE Department store, even the roof. Savannah couldn't believe how much Dawn had changed from the bus to taking her first step in Celadon City. She thought Dawn would be bottling up emotions inside of her and being anti-social, but here she was running all around Celadon City, having the time of her life and being her usual bubbly self. It almost brought Savannah to tears to think of how much Dawn has been through in the past week. It also had a toll on her as well. She has lost her sister, the person who had been by her side her entire life. When anything went wrong Johanna was always there to help her, almost like a mother. Savannah told herself when she got the news of Johanna's passing that she was going to return the favor and take care of Dawn and be there when she needed her. She was on the verge of tears when something caught her attention.

"Auntie?" Dawn asked with a confused look on her face. "Aunt Savannah are you there?"

"Huh? Oh! Hey Dawn." Savannah replied. "Are you okay Aunt Savannah?" " Yes Dawn, I am fine" Savannah replied with a happy smile on her face.

"_Huh, that was weird, she just spaced out in the middle of the store… and it looked like she was almost crying." _Dawn thought.

"Au-auntie are y-you crying?" Dawn asked nervously. "No, no Dawn. I'm fine I promise! I think I'm just allergic to some of the perfume here is all! What is it you say? No need to worry!" Savannah replied sheepishly.

Now it was about 6 P.M. and Savannah had suggested they catch a bus back to Vermillion then another back to Pallet Town.

"You only have 1 more day to get to know Pallet Town and your path to school and such." Savannah explained.

"Yea, I guess you're right. Man, I was having fun shopping too." Dawn said with a slight frown.

"Dawn, you bought over $1000 worth of stuff and have 6 bags to carry" Savannah said with a sweatdrop.

"Yea, I guess your right Auntie" Dawn said with a blush and turned her head slightly.

As they arrived at Auntie Savannah's house, Dawn was mesmerized by its magnificent appearance.

"Auntie, I don't recall your house being so big" Dawn said, mouth agape.

"That's because you were always too busy chasing that little boy around Pallet Town" Savannah replied with a smirk.

Dawn froze at the statement and blushed heavily. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

_***Flashback***_

"_Tag, you're it!" a young Dawn remarked with a smile of pure joy._

"_I am so gonna get you now!" a raven-haired child exclaimed as he chased her around the town, up and down the streets all day._

"_Nuh uh! You're too slow to catch me!" Dawn cried._

"_We'll see about that!" the boy retorted._

_They ran around for what seemed like days, all around Pallet Town. You see this boy wasn't an ordinary boy; he was Dawn's first crush. Sure, she was only 6 and he was 7 but there was something about this boy that Dawn felt. It felt like he just plain cared for everything and everyone, and that just felt right to her. She didn't understand it but as she grew older she knows what it is now. Then that dreadful day came. Dawn learned that her Aunt would be going off on business and wouldn't be at her house for a while, which meant no more trips to Pallet Town._

"_Promise we can be friends forever?" Said the boy._

"_Forever and always." Dawn exclaimed. "Here, I made this for you" as she handed him a piece of paper, and on it was a picture drawn of Dawn and the boy standing on a hill and in big letters above it were "Best Friends Forever and Always. Dawn and ?"_

"_I'm really going to miss you Dawn" said the raven-haired boy said with a sad smile._

"_I'm going to miss you too, ?"Dawn replied with the same look._

_***End Flashback***_

That's when it hit Dawn. She can't remember her first crush's name. This wouldn't seem like a problem right? Well for a girl as emotional as Dawn can be, it suddenly hit her hard. Here she was back at that house they played at over 10 years ago, but she can't remember the name of the boy she promised to be _"Best Friends Forever and Always"_ with.

"Dawn? Helloooo?" Savannah asked curiously in Dawn's face.

"Huh? WHA-why are you in my face Auntie!" Dawn asked a little irritated that she had interrupted her train of thought.

"I asked what the name of that little boy was and you zoned out on me." Savannah replied

"Oh…Thing is Auntie, I don't remember." Dawn said with tears coming to her eyes.

"Dawn, it's nothing to cry over..." Savannah tried comforting her.

"YES IT IS!" Dawn retorted, "He was my first crush and I told him we'd be _'Best Friends Forever and Always'_ but I can't even remember his name!"

"Dawn let's just go inside and have dinner. I think we both are a bit irritated since we are tired." Savannah suggested.

After dinner, Dawn decided she would take a shower to clear her mind. As she stepped in the concentrated downpour of warm water, she couldn't help but shake the thought of the little boy from her mind. She hoped a good night's rest would help. She was wrong again…

2:32 A.M., Dawn awoke in a cold sweat. She sat there breathing heavy and her eyes found a worried Piplup at the end of the bed. "No need to worry Piplup. It was just a bad dream" Dawn said and laid her head back down.

The next day went by smoothly with Dawn exploring Pallet Town. She couldn't believe how much bigger it had gotten; it could practically be called Pallet City now. Given the High School was still the biggest building in the town, it had expanded tremendously. That's when Dawn noticed it. It was the hill she had drew herself and her crush on when she was 6.

Dawn approached the hill and sat down under the tree that was now present there. She decided she would lie against the trunk and enjoy the beautiful 60 degree weather for a January. She soon dozed off for a few hours only to be woken by a rustling in the bushes near her. She took out a red and white ball, expanded it and called upon the Pokémon inside it.

"Pip-Lup!"

The rustling stopped for a few moments before…"Piplup use bubblebeam!"

"Pip-lup-lup-lup-lup" Piplup shrieked as it cast out dozens of little bubbles.

"Pika-CHUUUU!" yelled the small yellow Pokémon no bigger than Piplup.

Dawn and Piplup were shocked (literally) and saw the little Pikachu strut off with its arms crossed and a satisfied look on its face.

"Wha-What was that Piplup" asked an electrocuted Dawn as black smoke puffed from her mouth.

"Pip-lup…" was all the penguin could respond with.

"I sure hope tomorrow goes better than today did…"Dawn sighed. Then she remembered. "OH MY GOD! I start school tomorrow! Piplup I have to get home and get everything set up for tomorrow!"

And with that Dawn hurried off to get her bags and outfit ready for tomorrow. She could barely sleep from the nervousness, anxiety, and small fear that were overcoming her now. And only one thought would cross her mind.

"_Will HE be there...?_

**Well there is Chapter 2! MS Word says its almost 8 pages and going on 3200 words so I hope it's long enough/not too long…**

**Remember to R&R Please! It greatly helps!**


	3. First Day

**Me: Well here we are, the first day!**

**Dawn: I'm nervous…**

**Me: Nah, you get to meet May soon and it gets better from there**

**Dawn: Cool**

**Me: So, who wants to give this disclaimer thing a try?**

**Ash&Drew: Me!**

**Me: Ok, May you can do it**

**May: Disclaimer: HutchinsVW does NOT own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form!**

**Ash&Drew: Hmph…**

**Me: BEGIN!**

_**Aunt Savannah's House**_

"Ugh, why is it so cold in here?" Dawn asked sleepily. She looked over at her clock – 6:30 A.M. "Well at least I didn't wake up TOO early." She felt a slight breeze and realized that she had left her window open because it was such a nice day yesterday. It chilled her to the bone and she quickly shut it before continuing to gather her clothes and proceed to the bathroom.

She saw the sun creeping over the horizon and figured it would reach at least 50 degrees today, so she went with white pants, a white tee with a purple sweater pulled over it, and purple/white shoes. She left her hair down and double checked her appearance in the mirror

"I guess it's alright…" Dawn trailed off. "Pip! Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed, meaning "You look fine, now can we eat I'm STARVING."

Dawn chuckled and said "Yea, I guess you're right, No need to worry right? Let's go get breakfast."

As they make their way down the steps a wave of deliciousness swept over them. Aunt Savannah had prepared a 5-star breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. You name it, it was there.

"Auntie, why did you make so much food?" Dawn asked. "Because today is a big day and you need a great breakfast to start it off" Savannah replied with a smile. "Besides, whatever is left I take with me to work and share with people who run late and didn't get anything this morning."

"Oh" was all Dawn could muster, amazed at her Aunt's generosity. She had never seen this side of her. Maybe it's because she was too small to notice it back then. Either way, it made her smile to see this part of her Aunt.

"Oh, Dawn. The principal said to report to his office first thing to receive your schedule and meet your 'tour guide' so to speak." Savannah said.

"Ok, and will Piplup be fine here for the day? I'm still not sure if we're allowed to have Pokémon at the school yet." Dawn asked.

"Sure, I'll leave him some food and water before I leave later. Now you go and hurry on to school before you are late." Savannah told the nervous teen.

"Y-yea, I'll see you later Auntie, Love you!" Dawn cried as she ran out of the door. It was 7:30 at this point and school began at 8. It was about a 10minute walk so she could make it there on time without a problem. Once she arrived, every bit of nervousness hit her at once. She started feeling jelly-legged and somewhat dizzy. She straightened herself out and proceeded to the doors slowly. She could feel all the eyes upon her as she walked to the Principals office. _"This is it…"_she thought.

When she opened the door there sat an older man, probably in his 50's at his desk and a brunette girl that appeared to be Dawn's age in one of the chairs across from him.

"Welcome, you must be Dawn." The man said "I'm Professor Oak and this is May Maple."

"Hi, Dawn! So nice to meet you!" May stated with a big smile on her face. "H-hi Professor Oak and May" Dawn said nervously.

"Dawn, here is your schedule. May here is going to be your tour guide for the first day or so. You got lucky since she has every class with you." Professor Oak said with a genuine smile.

"Dawn! You're gonna have so much fun here! I'll introduce you to all of my friends and then we can even be best friends!" May said excitedly.

"It sounds like fun already!" Dawn said with a little nervousness dying down.

"How about we get started?" May said with a smile

_**Meanwhile, at the Ketchum Residence**_

We find a snoring young man, sprawled out on his bed. He looked peaceful until he was enshrouded in a bright flash of light. That light was indeed a thunderbolt from his partner Pikachu.

"Pika-PI!" Pikachu yelled.

"What the hell Pikachu?" Ash groaned. "Pika!" Pikachu replied pointing at the clock. 7:45. "Oh, man! I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry."

Ash quickly threw on a white tee, sweatpants, sneakers and his trusty hat. He grabbed his keys, the bagel his mom left him before she headed to work and bolted out of the door, almost leaving Pikachu behind. He hopped in his 2011 Jetta GLI and began down the road to the school. It was a Christmas present from a few weeks ago. When he arrived at school, he checked his phone and realized he had 2 minutes to get in class!

"I am really gonna have to hit the afterburners now!" he stated as he took off into the building.

Several teachers yelled at him for running in the halls and all they received back was a "Sorry, can't be late!" or "It won't happen again!" The truth is, this happens quite frequently. Ash seems to forget to set his alarm clock a lot. Good thing he has a little furry yellow alarm for back up.

Soon he saw the last corner he would have to turn before his destination. As he neared he heard "Ash! Stop running in the halls before you get hurt! Drew won't be here to carry you to class when you do!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine _Mom_." Ash remarked as he turned his head to look at an angry May.

"Ash Ketchum, your lucky class is about to start or I'd come whoop your ass!" May yelled. That's when Ash saw her. She was standing there beside May, staring off into space deep in thought before she turned to look at him. She almost looked sad, like she was about to cry. ***BANG***

_**Dawn's POV**_

"_Hope I don't do anything embarrassing today" _I thought but was soon interrupted.

"Ash! Stop running in the halls before you get hurt! Drew won't be here to carry you to class when you do!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine _Mom_." Ash remarked as he turned his head to look at an angry May. I heard the one word that I didn't think would ever make me feel this bad. _Mom_. I instantly began to tear up.

"Ash Ketchum, your lucky class is about to start or I'd come whoop your ass!" May yelled.

***BANG***

"_Whoever he is, he just took a locker to the face." _I giggled to myself, feeling a little better than before.

"Ash! Are you okay?" May ran over to him.

"Hell no, metal locker + full sprint = extreme pain" he commented. I once again giggled to myself.

"Ash, this is Da-"May began but this "Ash" boy stopped her. "No time May, if I'm late I won't get to play this week!" Ash said. "Introduce me at lunch, bye!" and he took off.

"I apologize for Ash, he is a complete idiot. How rude of him to leave like that." May said with a frustrated tone.

"It's fine May, I mean he was running late plus he DID take a locker to the face" I said giggling again.

"Yea, that's true. But he always runs late. If it wasn't for his Pikachu he wouldn't ever make it to school." May went on to say.

"Alright our first class is Math. The class I absolutely…HATE." May said. "Our teacher is Mr. Myers, Room 213, which is this way." May continued and pointed down a hall.

We entered the class and Mr. Myers introduced me to the class and told me to go sit by May since she was my "tour guide."

"This isn't so bad May; at least the teacher is nice." I said after half an hour.

"Yeah, but that's only because we've been going over rules we already know exist…" May retorted.

She had a point. I don't guess May knew anyone in that class because she didn't introduce me to anyone.

"Our next class is Science with Mrs. Smith in Room 202." I said and May pointed us in the right direction.

As we entered we went thru the same intro as last class. May introduced me to a girl named Zoey that sat behind us.

"Hey Zoey, this is Dawn. She moved here from the Sinnoh Region." May stated.

"Hi Dawn, nice to meet you." She greeted with an extended arm. "Nice to meet you too, Zoey." I said shaking her hand. May went on telling me how Zoey had a pretty short temper so I should try to avoid any confrontation with her until she knew me better. I nodded slowly trying not to look nervous.

We arrived at 3rd period, which was English. Ugh, I absolutely cannot STAND English class. Our teacher was Mrs. McDaniel. Again May couldn't find anyone to introduce me to but told me of a guy in this class that I need to avoid at all costs. His name was Paul Shinji and apparently he was a heartless soul who cared about nothing. She told me how Ash had gotten into a fight with him in 8th grade over how Paul treated his Pokémon.

After English was lunch, where May said I was guaranteed to meet the whole group. We took our time getting to the cafeteria since the lines we gonna be long. But apparently, May had a plan the whole time. According to her Ash, Drew, and two guys name Tracey and Gary save her, Zoey, and girl named Misty spots in the line so it's easy to get lunch. Sure enough, we found the group standing in the line and after we got our food we sat down at one of the tables.

I was beside May with Zoey and Misty on my other side. Drew sat across from May, Ash across from me, Gary, across from Zoey, and Tracey across from Misty. May proceeded with the introductions after we had all finished. For May and Ash it was no longer than 5 minutes.

"So, everybody this is Dawn. She came here from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh." May said.

"Sup" Drew said.

"H-hi" Stuttered Ash. Wait why is he stuttering? Maybe side effects of the locker crash this morning?

"Yo" Gary said cooly.

"Hey" Tracey replied.

"Hey Dawn, your hair is so pretty!" exclaimed Misty.

"Thanks Misty" I replied with a smile.

"No, it's beautiful…" someone muttered. But who?

Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and looked towards Ash like he did something sinister. He had his head down and realized everyone was staring at him.

"W-what's up guys?" he asked nervously

"Did you just say Dawn's hair was beautiful?" May questioned.

"Uh-uh…no, I was… uh… talking about this cookie!" Ash tried to defend himself before taking a bite "and it's delicious too! Heh…"

Everyone stopped and looked at each other before busting out in laughter.

_**Ash's POV**_

"So, everybody this is Dawn. She came here from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh." May said.

"Sup" Drew said.

"H-hi" Stuttered Ash. Wait why am I stuttering? Surely that locker accident wouldn't have done this!

"Yo" Gary said cooly.

"Hey" Tracey replied.

"Hey Dawn, your hair is so pretty!" exclaimed Misty.

"Thanks Misty" I replied with a smile.

"No, it's beautiful…" I muttered with my head down.

I heard everyone stop and thought _"there's no way they heard me…right?_ I looked up and sure enough everyone was staring me down

"W-what's up guys?" I asked nervously

"Did you just say Dawn's hair was beautiful?" May asked with a slight smirk on her face.

"Uh-uh…no, I was… uh… talking about this cookie!" I said trying to defend myself before taking a bite "and it's delicious too! Heh…"

Everyone stopped and looked at each other before busting out in laughter.

"_Smooth Ash, here is this new girl that has you thinking weird and you manage to run into a locker and make a complete idiot out of yourself at lunch."_

_**May's POV**_

"_Ash you sly dog you. Here I thought you were denser than lead but you are crushing hard on this new girl. Hmm, I'm gonna test this."_

"Oh Ash" I said "You still need to apologize to Dawn after your accident this morning" I replied with a smirk. _Bingo_.

"Oh, uh… Sorry for leaving like that Dawn, I just can't be late or coach won't let me play this week." Ash replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"It's ok Ash, I already told May it was no big deal since you took a locker to the head and all…"Dawn said giggling again.

_Is that a blush I see on their cheeks? Hehe…_

"Yea, I wouldn't have run into it if a certain _someone_ wasn't yelling at me in the hallway" Ash replied while giving me a death glare.

_Damn, the conversation wasn't supposed to turn on me…_

"Shouldn't have been running… besides isn't the Captain of the Varsity basketball team supposed to be aware of his surroundings?" I retorted

"Trust, I am completely focused on the court. Why else do you think we are undefeated?" he replied with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, well-"Ash cut me off. "Drew get your girlfriend, she's causing a ruckus." Ash said while looking over at Drew.

Drew's eyes widened before "Sh-she's not my girlfriend." He said while blushing. I started blushing too.

"Oh, please Drew, all you ever talk about is M-"Ash started before a hand covered his mouth and he got a solid punch in the arm. "What the hell was that for Drew?" Ash said rubbing his arm. "Keep your mouth shut and it won't happen again." Drew replied,

The bell rang and it was our cue to head to our last class. It was our Specialty classes which basically divided the school into 3 categories: Trainers, Coordinators, and Breeders. These "classes" were basically just a free period where everyone got a chance to practice with their Pokémon. Although it is illegal for people to battle other trainers without a High School diploma or a GED outside of school, we are still allowed to capture them and get to have battles and such in the school as long as it's supervised.

_**No POV**_

"So Dawn you want to be a Coordinator too?" May asked

"Yea, I'm sort of holding a promise to someone." Dawn said in a sad smile.

"Uhm, Dawn are you okay? May asked with concern evident in her voice.

"Yea, I'm fine. May what do we do if we don't have Pokémon on us?" Dawn asked.

"Not sure, you don't have one?" May asked.

"Yea I have a Piplup but I left him at home because I wasn't sure if they were allowed at school." Dawn responded.

"Let's see…" She trailed off. "Be right back!" May said and ran towards the Trainers Arena.

_**May's POV**_

"Hey Ash!" I yelled as he turned around.

"Sup May, what are you doing here? The Coordinators Arena is over there." Ash said pointing where I just ran from.

"Duh! But I came here to ask you something." I said.

"Sure, what is it?" he responded.

"I need to borrow a Pokémon." I said hopefully.

"Don't you have yours?" he asked.

"Yea, but I left mine at home…"I trailed off.

"Sure, I guess." He seemed puzzled "Which one?"

"Hmm… How about Aipom? He seems to like Contest battling better anyway." I said.

"Sure, let me ask him first though. Aipom, come on out!"

"Ai-Pom!"

"Hey buddy, I was wondering if you could go help a friend in Coordinator Arena." Ash asked the small purple monkey with a hand at the tip of its tail. "Ai-Aipom!" Aipom screeched happily. "Well I guess its settled. Aipom, Return! Here you go May." Ash said as he handed me the ball.

I took the ball and ran back into the Coordinators Arena and handed it to Dawn.

"What is this?" She asked

"It's Ash's Aipom. He likes contest battling better than normal battles so I asked Ash if you could borrow it for today." I stated.

"I don't know May, it seems weird using someone else Pokémon." Dawn said a little worried.

"Is it weird using _someone else's_ Pokémon or just _Ash's_?" I replied with a smirk.

Dawn blushed a little and turned her head. "I guess it couldn't hurt for 1 day, no need to worry right?"

"Not at all" I said with a smile.

_This is gonna be easier than I thought._

**The conclusion of the Specialty class and the rest of the day is included in the next chapter. After that, I won't spend 2 chapters on 1 day of school xD. I just felt I needed to get a solid footing on all the stuff going on. Not sure if the next chapter will be this long either but who knows.**

**Please R&R and thanks!**


	4. Best Friends, Forever and Always

**Me: Well, it's time to finish up your first day Dawn.**

**Dawn: Yay, at least it wasn't terrible. **

**Me: That you know of… I still get to write a whole chapter to finish it *Smirks***

**Dawn: Oh no…**

**Me: I kid, I kid, I won't make it too bad, now Drew do the disclaimer**

**Drew: Disclaimer: HutchinsVW does NOT own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form.**

**Me: BEGIN!**

"_What is this?" She asked_

"_It's Ash's Aipom. He likes contest battling better than normal battles so I asked Ash if you could borrow it for today." I stated._

"_I don't know May, it seems weird using someone else Pokémon." Dawn said a little worried._

"_Is it weird using _someone else's_ Pokémon or just _Ash's_?" I replied with a smirk._

_Dawn blushed a little and turned her head. "I guess it couldn't hurt for 1 day, no need to worry right?"_

"_Not at all" I said with a smile. _

_This is gonna be easier than I thought._

_**Dawn's POV**_

"So May, what do we do now?" I asked my friend.

"How about we start practicing contest moves?" May suggested.

"I don't know May, can I really practice contest moves with a Pokémon that I won't be using again?" I asked in confusion.

"You're right… what if we just have a contest battle then? Everyone can use some battle experience." She replied.

"I guess, let me check out the moves that Aipom knows first. Aipom, spotlight!" I called. Out popped a small purple monkey with a hand on the end of its tail.

"Aipom!" it cried.

"So Aipom, are you ready to have some contest battle practices?" I asked.

"Ai-Aipom-pom!" it replied excitedly. "Told you so" May said.

I pulled out my phone and used the Pokédex feature.

"Ok, so it says that Aipom knows Swift, Double Team, and Focus Punch." I said. "How can we work that out into a contest move?" I thought out loud. Aipom must've taken that as its cue to put on a performance right there in the middle of the arena. It used Swift and made dozens of small stars appear in the air then continued to use Double Team to make multiple copies of its self. Each copy used Focus Punch to hit the stars and they exploded in a superb shower of golden glitter as Aipom landed on its tail spinning.

"Th-that w-was a-a-AMAZING!" I screamed while jumping in joy.

May was awestruck and speechless. Well for a moment anyway.

"Who knew Aipom could do contest moves by itself?" she wondered.

"I don't know but it was spectacular" I said with wide twinkling eyes.

Applauses were being given out by everyone in the arena. It honestly felt like I just won a real contest, but I remembered I was just in school.

"_So this is what it would feel like" _I thought to myself. _"There's no way I'm letting anything stop me from achieving Top Coordinator now!"_

Then I heard something that completely enraged me.

"Nice, _Dee Dee_." a short crimson haired boy said.

I turned and saw the one person who I can honestly say that I never wanted to see again.

"KENNY! WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT CALLING ME THAT?" I yelled, infuriated at his constant annoyance with that nickname.

"Easy, _Dee Dee_, is that how you thank someone for complimenting you?" Kenny said with a smirk.

"Kenny I am going to rip you to shreds!" I cried with burning intensity in my eyes. Then I felt myself being held back. "May, let go! I'm gonna teach him to keep annoying me!" I screamed.

"Dawn, take it easy! Kenny get the hell out of here! I'd hate to have to get people bigger than you to help you find the door." May hissed to Kenny.

"Fine, Fine. See you later-""Don't even say it Kenny!" I interrupted. "Say what, _Dee Dee?_" Kenny smirked as he left the arena.

"" I screamed. I felt like a Gyrados who had been picked on its whole life as a Magikarp.

"Dawn, take it easy, it's just a nickname" May said. "No, it's more than that! He's been calling me that for over 10 years! I am TIRED of it!" I retorted. Then the bell rang.

May explained that the group usually meets out in the parking lot after school so that's where we were headed.

"So May, do you have a car?" I asked.

"Nope, I just got my permit a couple weeks ago so I still have to wait a YEAR, ugh. What about you?" She asked.

"No, I have my permit though and I can get my license this summer I believe. The only problem after that is then I have to get a car." I replied. "So do you take the bus?"

"No, Drew gives me a ride since I live a couple of houses down from him." She replied. "How about you?"

"I walk. It's only a 10 minute walk to my Aunt's so I don't mind it."

"Ew, I hate walking. I hate doing a lot of any physical activity to be honest." May admitted.

"So how do you stay in shape?" I asked.

"Guess I'm gifted or something. Never really thought about it to be honest." She said sheepishly.

We arrived at the parking lot and spotted the guys standing by their cars. Drew was standing next to a white 2009 Honda Civic Si. Gary was sitting on the trunk of his silver 2008 Ford Fusion. Ash was leaning in the window of his dark blue 2011 Jetta GLI.

"Hey guys." May said as we approached them.

"Nice cars!" was all I could manage with wide eyes.

"Hey May, Dawn." Gary and Drew said replied. Ash was still messing with something in his car.

"Oh, no _Hello_ from Mr. I-just-got-a-new-car-so-I-can't-stop-messing-around-in-it?" May steamed.

"Huh?" was all we heard from the car. "Oh, hi girls. Sorry about that I was trying to figure out how to work the hands free stuff in here" Ash replied sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. _He does that a lot…_

_**May's POV**_

"Whatever Ash" I said. "So do you guys have any plans?" I asked the group

"Not that I know of." Drew said

"I have to help gramps back at the lab." Gary replied

"Ash?" I asked

"ASH! ARE YOU MESSING WITH YOUR CAR AGAIN?" I yelled.

"Possibly…" Ash said in a low voice poking his fingers together looking ashamed.

"Well we should show Dawn around Pallet Town, what does everyone think?"

"Cool"

"Sounds fun"

"It says to press the power button for 5 seconds then hit 3412 on the radio…"Ash muttered as he trailed off.

"ASH I SWEAR IF YOU ARE MESSING WITH THAT CAR I WILL KICK YOU IN THE FACE!"I screamed again. "You're being rude to Dawn."

"But I almost have it figured out" he pouted.

"Fine, you're not coming" I said sternly. "Let's go. Dawn, you can ride in the backseat."

"Wait! I wanna come too!" Ash said

"You have a car too, one you apparently care more about than your friends." I retorted.

"Damn May, I've never seen you this mad before" Drew said. "STAY OUT OF THIS DREW!" I yelled. He hurriedly got into the car, fearing for his life.

"May that hurt. You know that's not true" Ash said in a sad voice.

"Then prove it. Come with us to show Dawn Pallet Town." I said. "But you're driving your car, and to make up for your rudeness, you get to drive Dawn around." _Bingo…again._

_**Ash's POV**_

"Wait! I wanna come too!" I said

"You have a car too, one you apparently care more about than your friends." May retorted.

"Damn May, I've never seen you this mad before" Drew said. "STAY OUT OF THIS DREW!" May yelled. He hurriedly got into the car, fearing for his life. _Jeez Drew, way to help me out here..._

"May that hurt. You know that's not true" I said in a sad voice.

"Then prove it. Come with us to show Dawn Pallet Town." she said. "But you're driving your car, and to make up for your rudeness, you get to drive Dawn around."

_Wait, Dawn is here? Shit! I made myself look like some guy who obsesses with his car. How can this get any worse? Let's pretend I didn't ask that…_

"Uh, ok" I replied. "Are you sure you don't wanna ask Dawn, I mean I can be a really crazy driver!" I tried to get my way out of it.

_I'm just too damn nervous around that girl. I mean she does look familiar and I've heard that name before. I just can't put my finger on it._

"Ha, ha Ketchum. Everyone knows your one of the better drivers at school; you're not getting out of this. Besides I could always tell Dawn that you think she's…" May whispered in my ear "...ugly!"

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE." My eyes went wide. "Try me" she mouthed as she opened the back door to tell Dawn she was riding with me.

_**Dawn's POV**_

"_That's weird, May whispered something to Ash and he looked like he saw a ghost and yelled at her. It looked like she mouthed something like 'try me' or something" He looks kind of familiar with that dark hair and those brown eyes…but I just don't know._

"Oh, Dawn…" May said with a smirk.

"Yes May? I asked.

"Ash said that he would love to drive you around Pallet Town to go sightseeing to make up for his rudeness today" she replied with a smile.

"Uh, okay" I said nervously. "Don't worry he's a great driver and I promise he WON'T mess with his car anymore around us. RIGHT ASH?" May said sternly glaring at Ash.

"N-no more messing with the car, got it!" he said shakily. _Was he really that scared of May? Maybe I should be too…_

I got out and hopped into Ash's car. I liked the interior a lot; it looked sleek with leather seats and dash.

"So…"I asked, "where are we headed first."

"Let's see, I guess we could start around the shop area and kind of work our way around the town." He replied.

"Sure, sounds good."

And with that we were off to Pallet Town with Drew and May following us in his car. I could've sworn that when I looked in the mirror that May was blushing a few times but who knows. We arrived at the shopping district and I definitely planned on buying SOMETHING.

_**No POV**_

"So where are we headed first?" Ash asked. "Let's go shopping!" May quickly suggested. "YES! THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!" Dawn cried in excitement.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Ash asked to Drew. "I don't know bro." was all he got back.

The girls took off with Ash and Drew in tow. They were drug into every shop in the district. They also made them hold every bag. Not a problem right? Wrong. There were over 10 bags to be carried and they aren't exactly the lightest bags in the world. Finally they got a break when everyone started getting hungry. They decided to stop a diner and talk about various things. May sat beside Drew and Ash beside Dawn.

"Damnit! I forgot to text my Aunt that I wasn't gonna be home right after school!" Dawn cried frantically looking for her phone. Once she found it she began texting away.

"So Ash, I've been meaning to ask you all day," Drew started, "but where is Pikachu?"

"Oh, apparently he got a cold or something. Nurse Joy said it was probably because he got wet somewhere with it being cold out." Ash replied.

Dawn heard everything and stopped texting and looked up. "Di-did you say a wet Pikachu?" She asked nervously.

"Yea, why?" Ash asked curiously.

"Well I, uh, sorta, maybe…"Dawn trailed off.

"What is it Dawn?" May said.

"I kind of had my Piplup use Bubblebeam on a bush yesterday because I heard something rustling around in it and…" she continued "…a Pikachu came out and shocked us." She said while blushing and turning her head away.

Silence.

"BWHAHAHAHAAHHAAHA" everyone erupted in laughter.

"Dawn are you sure it was a Pikachu and Ash's at that?" May asked.

"Yes I know it was a Pikachu, and I've never seen Ash's Pikachu so I don't know!" she said with a slight hint of anger.

"What makes you think its Ash's?" Drew asked. "Well for one it walked away with its arms crossed and smirking. That would mean that it is at least owned by someone. Wild Pikachu don't have that kind of attitude." Dawn reasoned.

Everyone looked wide eyed.

"Where exactly did you see this Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"On a hill near the edge of town. You can't really find it unless you know where it is." Dawn explained.

"Wait, wait, wait…you mean to tell me that you saw Ash's Pikachu on 'that' hill? How did you find it? I STILL can't this hill that Ash talks about. He refuses to show anyone because that hill is reserved for his 'best friend' he says." Everyone went silent again before Ash broke the silence.

"I KNEW IT! Well I didn't at first, BUT NOW IM SURE!" Ash stood up out of the booth and pointed at Dawn.

"Huh?" was all the group could say.

"Dawn! Dawn Berlitz, right? Your Aunt is Savannah? She lives near the outskirts of town!" he continued with the same excitement and joy as before.

"Ash, you're scaring me" May said.

"Ash?" Dawn questioned, "How do you know all of this?"

"I'll show you!" He pulled out his wallet and a piece of paper in it. He unfolded it and looked at it. "Yes, now I'm 100% sure of it." He muttered with a smile. "Here, look at this." He handed the paper to Dawn.

"U-uh, I-I d-d-don't… BELIEVE IT! ASH! IS IT REALLY YOU?" She cried on the verge of tears. May and Drew looked at each other with extreme confusion.

"Forever and Always" Ash said with a heartwarming smile.

Dawn was ecstatic and now speechless. She jumped out of the booth and jumped at Ash and wrapped him in a huge hug, which he returned whole heartedly. By now she was crying her eyes out.

"I can't believe you kept that after all these years!" she said in a soft voice, breaking the hug.

"What did you think I was gonna do with it? We're Best Friends, Forever and Always." Ash replied in just as soft a voice, looking her in the eyes.

Drew and May took the opportunity to look at the paper and when they saw it they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Guys, exactly how long has it been since this picture was drawn?" May asked. "Over 10 years!" Ash and Dawn replied at the same time. "Wow." May muttered.

"I hate to break this reunion up guys, but it's getting late." Drew said. "We should begin heading home."

They gathered their things and Drew took May home while Ash drove Dawn home. Ash didn't need directions since he knew where her Aunt's house was. Soon they arrived.

"I guess… I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Ash asked.

"Of course… Best Friend" Dawn said with a smile.

"_Wow, she is really pretty when she smiles like that" _Ash thought to himself. When he arrived at his house he sat in the driveway and turned on the light and opened the paper again. He sat there for a few minutes just staring at it before he walked in. _She came back!_

_**Dawn's POV**_

"How was your first day? Savannah asked.

"It was amazing! I met new friends and even a couple of old ones!" Dawn cried.

"Oh, really now. Like who?" Savannah questioned.

"Well there's Kenny who I've known since Kindergarten and…"Dawn stopped, "ASH! He was there Auntie! My crush from the Summers when I was younger!" Dawn squealed.

"Oh, what fun!" Savannah said with a smile

"Auntie, I'm going to bed now, I can't WAIT until tomorrow!"

"Ok, goodnight Dawn."

"Goodnight!"

As Dawn was getting ready for bed she emptied her pockets and found Ash's Aipom. _Shit! I finally meet my first crush again and I steal his Pokémon! I hope he won't be mad at me…_

_**Savannah's POV**_

_Dawn, if only you knew how much that boy loved you, you would be 10x happier._

_***Flashback***_

_Knock, knock, knock._

"_Oh, hello there Ash. May I help you?"_

"_Is Dawn here? I want her to come outside to play." A young ash asked, full of hope._

"_No, sorry. She isn't here. As soon as she comes by I'll be sure to let you know." Savannah said with a soft smile._

"_Oh, ok…" a young defeated Ash replied._

_I thought for a second and came to a conclusion. "I tell you what Ash, how about you come by here anytime you want to wait for Dawn. I have plenty of snacks and lemonade."_

"_Really? You mean it!" Ash asked with a huge grin._

"_Of course! I can see how much Dawn means to you." I said with a smile. I could even see the young man's blush when I said that._

_***End Flashback***_

"_That boy came by every summer for 5 years wanting to play with you and you were never here. He spent that time over here hoping that one day he would see you come down the driveway. He even took it upon himself to help me around the house while he waited. Dawn, the ball is in your court now. Don't mess it up." _I thought with a sad smile before heading to bed.

**So that was the Chapter where all was revealed. The rest is gonna be Drama filled getting Ash and Dawn together, etc.**

**Please R&R and suggestions are welcomed!**


	5. Nostalgia, Normalities, and Nightmares?

**Me: Now the hard part begins.**

**Ash: Why is that?**

**Me: I have to get a certain B-ball player and his best friend together while adding drama and what not.**

**Ash: Huh? **

**Dawn: Really Ash…**

**Me: I'll do the disclaimer**

**I do NOT own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form.**

_**May's POV**_

"May! Wake up!" My brother Max yelled in my ear.

_***THUD***_

"Max, you are so gonna get it now!" I screamed while chasing him out of my room. "I'm sorry May, Mom told me to come wake you up since its 7 A.M. and Drew will be here in a bit!" Max said as he was running away.

_Ah, Drew._ The mere mention of his name made my heart melt and my face warm up. Max apparently took notice of this.

"Oh, May likes Drew does she?" he smirked.

"Max, shut up and leave me alone so I can get ready!" I retorted. As much as my little bro can get on my nerves, he's right. I've had this crush on Drew for as long as I can remember.

I proceeded to take my shower and get ready before I ended up spacing out and losing what little valuable time I had left before Drew showed up.

_I still can't believe that Ash and Dawn have known each other for over 10 years but couldn't remember each other. I guess that is what happens with distance. This only throws another pothole in my plan. How am I supposed to get "best friends" together? It's obvious that they like each other but I have a feeling that Ash's denseness combined with Dawn's shyness will just make it that much harder for feelings to be admitted._

"Whatever, I'll figure something out. I'll get help from the group. For now, I have to get ready!" I sighed to myself. I managed to get ready by 7:45, just as Drew pulled up. I walked out to the passenger side door. If he didn't come by to pick me up every day, I would be late all the time.

"Hey May" Drew said.

"Hey Drew" I replied with a smile.

On the way to school I figured I would ask Drew what his opinion was on the whole ordeal yesterday.

"Drew, are you as confused about what happened yesterday as I am?" I asked.

"You mean with Ash and Dawn?" he replied. I nodded. "I mean, it does seem kind of weird. Then again, we don't know the whole story."

"Well, I know for a fact that Ash has feelings for Dawn. I wonder how she feels about him." I thought out loud.

"How do you know Ash has feelings?" Drew asked.

"Well for starters, he seems a little nervous around her. Captains of undefeated Varsity Basketball teams aren't exactly the type to be nervous around people unless something is up." I tried to reason. "Then, there was yesterday in the parking lot. I told him if he didn't make up for his actions I would tell Dawn that he thought she ugly. Boy, his face looked like he just saw a ghost."

"Wow May, so that's what that was. Dawn and I both saw that face but figured nothing of it." Drew said. "I don't recall you ever being this cruel. Have you been taking lessons from Paul?" Drew smirked. "NO! I hate that jerk! I wish he had never shown up in middle school." I grumbled.

"Maybe he's just misunderstood, then again he has been like that since the day he showed up here." Drew tried reasoning. "Glad we didn't have that kind of problem when we showed up." He said with a smile.

"At least all of us got along when we first started." I sighed.

_***Flashback***_

"_Alright May, this is your first day in Middle school, in a new region at that. I can see that you're nervous but as long as you act like yourself you should be fine." My mom assured me with a warm smile._

"_Thanks, mom. I'll see you after school right?" I asked "Of course dear." She confirmed._

_I got out of the car and approached the doors. As I did so, I was awestruck at this building that was to house my education for the next 3 years and ran into a messy raven haired boy. You know who…_

"_I'm so sorry!" I apologized. "No problem." He said with an honest smile as he got up and dusted himself off. "You don't look familiar. Are you new?" he asked. "Y-yea, I am" I said in a low voice. "Well, my name is Ash and welcome to Kanto." He said with a goofy smile. "I'm May and thanks." I replied._

"_Hey Drew! Looks like you're not the only new student here today!" Ash yelled toward his left. That's when I saw him. The boy who would have me under his spell many years later._

"_Hey, I'm Drew and I moved here from the Hoenn Region." He said with a beautiful smile. "I-I'm May and I'm from Petalburg City, also in Hoenn." I said blushing._

_That's when Ash proceeded to show me to the rest of the group at the time; Misty, Gary, Brock, Tracey, and now Drew and I. Come to think of it, I don't see Brock that much anymore._

_It wasn't for another year or so before Zoey showed up. Paul showed up in 8__th__ grade and the very first time Ash saw him in the Trainer's Arena, he saw just how ruthless Paul was. That is when the fight broke out with Paul and Ash never speaking since then, unless they battled._

_***End Flashback***_

That was indeed the best first day anyone could have. Given I _did_ run into a popular kid on day one, he just accepted me into his group. Anyway, back on topic.

"As I was saying, Ash was messing with his car instead of being social with everyone…" I trailed off in annoyance.

"True. I have a question though." Drew stated. "Uh, okay. Shoot." I replied. "Why are you so interested in Ash and Dawn's relationship?"

How was I supposed to explain this? _I'm trying to play cupid? _I guess that's the best I can come up with so why not try it?

"I just thought it would be in Ash's best interest to find a girl to keep him in line. And I figured Dawn would want someone who could at least be there for her." I replied with a slight smile.

"May, I think you should just stay out of it. If they were meant to be then I'm sure they will realize it sooner or later." Drew said. "Besides you don't even know Dawn that well yet." _I guess that's true… I just hope that its sooner than later. I get a bad vibe from that Kenny guy._

"Yeah, your right." I said with disappointment.

Once we arrived at school, I told Drew I'd see him at lunch and we went on to class.

_**Dawn's POV**_

I've been in such a good mood this morning. Maybe it's because it was a beautiful morning, the fact that I can bring Piplup to school with me, or even more so… the fact that ASH goes to this school. I instantly grew giddy at the statement. I figured I would make friends easy, but to meet your first crush and best friend from 10 years ago can't hurt can it?

"Hey May." I said as May walked into Math for 1st period.

"Hey Dawn." May replied with a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong May? You don't look too happy." I asked.

"Hell no I'm not happy, we're in Math, remember? Ugh… numbers are nonsense." She sighed. I could only giggle. "May, I could always help you if you need it. I don't mind Math too much." I smiled.

"Thanks Dawn. You sound an awful lot like Ash. He's always trying to help everyone out with studying or what not." She said.

_Just like Ash, huh?_ _I realize we haven't seen each other in a long time, but I wonder how much could we have in common…_

Soon class was over and we gathered our things to head to Science. As we began to turn in the door, all I saw was a blur and the next thing I knew I was on the floor wondering just what in the hell happened.

"Ow! What the hell was that?" I muttered. "I am SO going to fine you! And you have 10 seconds to pay up!" yelled a blonde haired boy who was rubbing his head as he held out his other hand like I was actually going to pay him? He can't be serious, right?

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…" he began before May interrupted "Barry, how many times has anyone actually paid your 'fine'"? May asked softly. "Uh, heh, no one." He said in a somewhat defeated voice. "And how many times have you run into people because you get impatient?" May asked in another soft voice. "A countless amount, no doubt." He stated, almost proud of the feat. "Ok, so how about, YOU STOP DOING IT!" May yelled as she kicked him in the shin. He began rolling in pain and I couldn't hold the laughter anymore.

"May, Barry is something wrong here?" Mrs. Smith asked. "No, not at all Mrs. Smith, Barry just tripped on his way out of the door. He got in a hurry is all." May smirked.

We then proceeded to our seats and talked to Zoey before class started, which wasn't long.

We learned that we had group projects and Mrs. Smith assigned May, Zoey, and I to a group. We just started the new semester yesterday and already had a project. It is due next Monday. We had to study the stress put on Pokémon during contest battles. _Too easy…_

English was absolutely terrible. I don't know how I'm going to last a whole semester in there.

Finally it was time for Lunch!

_**Ash's POV**_

I took off out of the Gym to head to the lunchroom. It didn't take long since the lunchroom is right beside the Gym, which made it that much easier to get in the line.

"I am SOOO hungry!" I cried as my stomach growled. Pikachu sweatdropped.

"How is that different from any other time of the day?" Gary asked.

"It's not, just that now I can actually do something about it" I replied.

"You're lucky you're an athlete and actually do some kind of exercise. Otherwise, you'd be as big as a Snorlax after a week." Drew smirked. Gary started laughing along with half of the people in the line that heard. Even Pikachu laughed.

"Ha, Ha, Ha, not funny…" I muttered.

"Hey here come the girls." Drew said. Sure enough here came May, Zoey, Misty, and Dawn. I still can't believe that she is here right now. I almost certainly thought I would never see her again yet here she is right in front of me.

"Hey guys." they said.

"Hey girls." we replied.

"So, what do they have for lunch today?" May asked.

"I honestly don't care, I just wanna eat something!" I cried.

Everyone started laughing again.

"So Ash, is this your Pikachu?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, he's feeling a lot better compared to yesterday. It's amazing what a bottle of ketchup can do for this little guy." I said with a cheeky grin. "Huh?" she said with a confused look. "Pikachu is addicted to ketchup. He absolutely loves it. When I got home last night there wasn't a bit left, only 3 empty bottles on the couch where he was laying."

"Wow, well I'm sorry for making you sick Pikachu." Dawn said softly to the electric mouse and reached to pet him.

"Pika-CHU!"

"Dawn! Are you okay?" I asked, a little concerned. "Yeah, I guess I had that coming." she replied with a small puff of smoke coming out of her mouth.

"Pikachu, what was that for!" I asked my partner angrily. "Pika." It retorted as it crossed its arms, closed it eyes and turned away. "Don't be that way, she is my friend so don't do it again. She already apologized. What more do you want?"

"No need to worry, Ash. Really it's fine."

"No it's not; Pikachu has no reason to be out of line like that, especially after you already apologized." I replied.

_**May's POV**_

"_Hmm. I've never seen Ash go off on Pikachu when he shocked someone before. Maybe there are some feelings there and I just have to dig them out." _I thought to myself with a Cheshire grin. I guess Drew noticed.

"May, what's up with that sinister smile?" he whispered.

"Oh, nothing." I smirked.

The rest of lunch and school went by uneventfully. Everyone at the table was just as confused over the Ash and Dawn fiasco as me and Drew were. The only excitement was when Ash and Paul had a bout in the Trainer Arena and it ended in a draw. Once again, a group of students had to separate the two before they fought over Pokémon treatment again. This has been going on for so long that now it's just annoying. We all met in the parking lot and went our separate ways, me with Drew and Ash taking Dawn home. It was weird because other than lunch, everyone was quiet. It was like we were waiting for some ominous force to come destroy everything. I decided once I get home, I am going to find out Dawn's feelings for Ash. I think I will let Drew work on Ash a little bit before I dive off in the deep end. Trying to get Ash to show emotions was easy. Getting him to admit to them? Not so much…

I called Dawn via video phone around 9 P.M. We talked about various girl stuff such as outfits, the best pop songs out there right now, when we should have sleepovers or spend some time at the mall, etc. Then we got to the subject I had been waiting on all night. Who did we think was cute?

"So Dawn, who do you think is the cutest guy in school?" I asked. _This is gonna be fun._

"Oh, uh-uh… I don't know…" she replied while looking at the floor, blushing without a doubt.

"C'mon Dawn, I know there is someone out there that has caught your eye, even if it has only been 2 days." I said with a smirk.

"May, I promise I really don't know." She responded while rolling her eyes. "So, what about you? Who do you think is cutest? Drew? Gary? Ash?"

_I think I can have A LOT more fun with this now. I strongly wanted to tell her Drew, but to draw her feelings out; I just have to pick Ash._

"Hmm… I would have to say without a doubt that Ash is the cutest." I replied with the best dreamy look I could muster.

"Wh-What?" Dawn stuttered. "I thought you liked Drew, May!" She yelled, and I must say, she looked a little steamed.

_**Dawn's POV**_

_Oh my god! May thinks Ash is the cutest guy at school! I thought for sure she would think of Drew like that, seeing as she blushes around him and goes all googly eyed when you mention his name. She wouldn't make a move on Ash... would she?_

"I do like Drew, as a friend. Ash is just so… HOT! I think I'm going to ask him out before Misty gets the chance… she does flirt with him a lot, it might be too late." May said with a frown.

_What the hell! What is going on here! I don't know why I am so angry but I'm screaming on the inside right now. This is total blasphemy. Sure me and Ash lost touch for 10 years, but I still have feelings for him. I think he may have feelings for me as well since he carries that picture in his wallet. And what's this about Misty flirting with him?_

"Dawn is there something wrong? You seem a little red, almost a bit flustered." May asked

_Wait, was I really angry enough for it to show. I glanced over to my mirror, sure enough. _

"Oh, uh, no May, I'm fine. Just a little… tired! Yes, I'm just tired. I'll see you tomorrow May." I hung up at that. I could've sworn I saw a smirk on May's face. _Was this just a practical joke?_ Surely not, May doesn't even know me well enough to pull these kinds of jokes. But, about Misty…

_**May's POV**_

"Wow, she seemed really upset when I said I thought Ash was cute. Guess it was kind of a dirty thing to do, I mean I don't even know Dawn well enough to know how she will react." I said to no one in particular. "Well, no sense in worrying about it now I guess."

_**Ash's POV**_

_What is going on with me! Sure being nervous around the gorgeous new girl on the first day is normal, but finding out she is my childhood friend should've relieved me of those feelings right? Nope, now it's worse and I have no idea what to do about it._

"Pikachu, what's your opinion on this whole ordeal?" I asked my electric mouse. "Pika?" he asked. I guess I should _explain_ the ordeal for him to have an opinion right? "About Dawn. I get all nervous and tingly around her. I thought it would go away after the first day plus finding out I've known her half my life, but it hasn't. Any thoughts?"

"Pika-ka-chu-pika" he retorted, seeming almost insulted.

"Pikachu, you shouldn't hold grudges, she already said sorry. Besides, _you_ scared _her,_ remember? Creeping in bushes and what not…" I reasoned.

"Pi" he snarled. _Hypocrite_ for those who don't speak the language of electric mouse.

"What! How am I a hypocrite?" I replied surprised.

"Pikachu"

"C'mon, Paul is the exception to the grudge rule. I could always treat you like he treats his Pokémon?" I joked, knowing I would win that battle.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu screamed back at me in disgust.

"Yeah, I'm sorry; it's not good to joke like that. Anyway, since you are of no help, I'll just ask Brock tomorrow. He's coming back from his stint at the Pewter City Gym. I need to figure this out fast because come Thursday we start the Playoffs and I have to be focused and ready."

_**Dawn's POV**_

"_Heh, so-uh, Ash. I was uhm, w-wondering…"C'mon Dawn you can do it! "if-if you…" Pull yourself together! "w-wanted to h-hang out s-s-s…sometime?" I barely managed to get out, blushing like mad._

"_Wow Dawn, you feel that way about me? Ash asked, almost sounding surprised._

"_Feel how?" I asked nervously. "Well I thought people ask others out when they are in love with the other." He said. "Oh, uh, yeah I guess so." I stated. "Well that's just it Dawn, I can't go out with you. I don't love you, I love Misty. She's the only one for me." He said with a smile._

"_Oh…" I said, heartbroken._

"_Hey babe, what's up?" an excited Misty asked as she came over. "Oh, nothing. Dawn here thought I actually wanted to go out with her." He chuckled. "Oh" Misty replied. "What did you tell her?" "I told her that I don't love her, I only love you and that you're the only one for me." Ash said while looking deep into Misty's eyes._

"_Oh, Ash" she sighed dreamily, and with that they embraced in a passionate kiss. All of this going down as if I'm not standing three feet away, watching everything. I was on the verge of tears now._

"_Sorry, Dawn. I just don't see us ever being more than friends. Besides, you're just not Misty. She has looks, smarts, and the personality. She's perfect!" Ash exclaimed proudly before continuing "and frankly, you don't have any of it." He said coldly. "I hope we can still be friends."_

Really? Did he really just say all of that and expect us to stay friends?

"_Friends? You think we can be friends after what you just said?" I said softly, not caring if I was crying now. "Dawn?" "NO, ASH! LEAVE ME ALONE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" I cried. "Fine, let's go babe. Let her cry her eyes out for all I care."_

_I watched as my only love walked off in the horizon. _

"_Damn, guess Misty beat me to it." A voice behind me said. "May?" I asked, still sobbing. "Yeah, Dawn I can't be seen with you because you got turned down by the most popular guy in school so…" She said. "Bye!" and ran off at that. _

_Here I am all alone, just like when my Mother left me that night. The only person I cared deeply for has just left me behind, and it has happened twice now. I now fear that I was meant to spend my entire life alone. With no one. No Friends. No Family. Nothing. Just a depression filled abyss._

Then I woke up. I was sweating profusely; I felt like I had just taken a bath and jumped straight into my bed without drying off. It was a terrible feeling as well, the bed being all damp. I looked over and the clock read 4:46 A.M.

_At least that was only a dream-no, scratch that, it was a nightmare. Nothing that sinister could be real._

I decided that I would go get a glass of water and try to sleep for the rest of the 2 hours I had before I had _originally_ planned to get up. After 30 minutes I realized that I couldn't fall back asleep so I devised my plan of attack to prevent this nightmare from becoming a reality. I had read where people have these realistic dreams, but come to find out that it is some kind of premonition, resulting in some crazy déjà vu later on. I did not want that to happen, even though déjà vu is literally impossible to prevent. Oh well, can't hurt to try.

It was 6:15 now._ Wow, it's already been over an hour since I lost myself in thought. Oh well. _

I spent the next 45 minutes picking my outfit and getting ready. Well _trying_ to get ready to face the day that lie ahead. Something told me, I was in for a long day.

**Well, that's Chapter 5 and I need some feedback for the length of these Chapters. This is by far the longest, with the rest (other than the Intros) being around 3000 words.**

**Don't forget to please R&R. I really appreciate the ones who have taken the time to review.**


	6. Everlasting Friendship

**Dawn: That was cruel May. Playing with my emotions like that…**

**May: I'm sorry, but 'no need to worry' because everything works out *smiles***

**Me: WHAT! How do you know that? I'm writing this story and don't even know what the next chapter will be.**

**May: Well this story is Pearlshipping right? AshxDawn? Ring a few bells?**

**Me: Oh yeah. Heh.**

**May: HutchinsVW does NOT own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form.**

_**Brock's POV**_

Ah, EPH. Boy how I missed this place for the last month. Having to go back to perform Gym leader duties is taking its toll, I'm just glad the school is so lenient on me since I'm a senior. It just feels good to be able to see my friends again.

"Eyy, Brocko!"

"Yo, Ash. What's up man, how've ya been?" I asked.

"Good man, just leading the team to the Playoffs undefeated, nothing too major." He stated proudly.

"Hey, that's great! I'm definitely coming to the games." I replied.

"Thanks, our first game is tomorrow night. It starts at 7 P.M. We have all Home games if we make to the Finals since we're leading our conference. Which reminds me, I need to ask you something when you get the chance?"

"Sure, what about?" I asked curiously.

"Oh…it's a about a girl…" Ash trailed off.

"WHAT! You mean little Ash finally has feelings for girls?" I laughed.

"Shh, someone might hear you! And yes, I may have feelings for _a _girl. I just figured I would ask you first." He sounded serious.

"Well Ash, for starters, I'm proud that you came to me for advice" I said dramatically, faking tears. "Haha, now can you help?" He sounded a little annoyed. "Well secondly, what makes you think you have feelings for this girl?

"Oh wow, well let's see here. She's beautiful, smart, and a little shy. She seems to be caring but I haven't gotten close enough to her to prove it, but I'm 99.9% certain she wouldn't harm a Caterpie. Oh, and she was my best friend from 10 years ago." He went on.

"Wow, so it took you 10 years to show feelings for this girl?" I asked, taken aback by the fact there's no way it takes someone that long to realize feelings, no matter how dense.

"Well, she moved away and I haven't seen her for 10 years. So can you help or not?" He asked.

"Let's see. The best advice I can give you is to just confess Ash." I said.

"Jeez, Brock, that was helpful. Anyways, I'm off to class, see you at lunch." He sweatdropped as he walked away.

"Glad to help!" and I went on my way. _I'm going to talk to May about this, I have a feeling she might already be up to something._

_**May's POV**_

"_So, do you understand the plan? Xoxo-MayM" 7:56 A.M._

"_Yup, I hope it works. I'd like to see them together! 3MistyW" 7:58 A.M._

"_K I'll see you at lunch. Xoxo-MayM" 7:59 A.M._

"_K, see ya there. 3MistyW" 8:00 A.M._

_Perfect!_

"May, who were you texting?" Dawn asked me.

"Oh, that was just Misty. We were going over plans is all." I replied.

"Oh cool. What are you two doing?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing major, just sorting out some kinks." I said with a smile.

_**Dawn's POV**_

_May is definitely hiding something. She has been texting since she got in class. And she was 15 minutes early at that! Something isn't right…_

Math was alright I guess. We had a quiz on stuff we reviewed from our previous math class. We proceeded to Science and managed to miss Barry today. Me, May, and Zoey worked on our project and literally got half of it done. Giving 3 Coordinators a project studying stress contests have on Pokémon is too easy. We got English and Mrs. McDaniel gave out paperbacks for us to use for our assignments and homework. Once we arrived to the lunchroom we began looking for the boys, but they weren't in line.

"Hey May, where are the guys at?" I asked.

"Oh, there they are." She said pointing at our table.

"Damn, this means we have to stand at the back of the line." I said with a frown.

"Not necessarily… be right back!" and with that she took off towards the table. Ash stood up and followed her back over here he talked to a couple of the guys in the line. As he walked away he gave us thumbs up and winked with a smile that could melt steel.

"C'mon Dawn, we have a spot in line now!" May said as she drug me near the front of line. I didn't even notice. The only thing I was noticing was the man walking back to our table with that smile.

"How did we get this far up so fast?" I asked.

"Uh, did you not just see what happened?" she asked confused. I shook my head. "Oh… Ash knows these guys because they are on the team and they let us get in front of them." She said, indicating the guys behind us.

"Oh, well thanks guys. I hope it won't happen again." I turned to the guys with a genuine smile.

"No problem."

"Yeah, it's no biggie."

"Anything for Ash's girlfriend and her friend" another one said.

_Wait, what? Who was Ash's girlfriend? Me or May? There's no way that May asked Ash out, did she? ARGH, THIS IS SO CONFUSING! I'm gonna ask her._

"Uhm, May." I whispered.

"Yes Dawn?"

"What do they mean by Ash's girlfriend and her friend?"

"Oh that? It's nothing…" she trailed off.

_Nothing huh…_

We got our food and sat down, but this time the seats were different. Misty was beside Ash and that forced Tracey to sit between me and Zoey. _Hmm…_ _surely this wasn't happening_ _now_.

"So Ash… I hear that Misty has something _important _that she wanted to tell you." May said.

Ash stopped shoveling the food in his mouth and looked up to a table of people staring at him. He swallowed his food and turned to Misty. "What's up Mist?"

"Oh, I was just wondering… if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime."

_Pretty sure that I didn't hear that correctly. It sounded like Misty just asked Ash out. I must be hallucinating or something._

There was a pause before Ash's face turned into one of annoyance. "Misty. How many times have I told you my answer to that question?" he sighed.

"Too many. That's why I think you should change it up…" she started "_…for me?" _she said seductively.

Ash backed away and almost fell out of his chair. "Misty, I am not going out with you. Plain and simple." He stated coldly.

"Oh please Ash, just once!" She pleaded. It almost seemed out of desperation.

"Oh my god, if I say yes will you forever stop asking me about it?" he said in a clearly disgruntled tone.

"YES! OH MY GOD! So how about this weekend?" she asked. "Sure, whatever." He said in a low voice and continued his lunch.

_Well that didn't go so bad, Ash seems completely uninterested in Misty._

I nudged May, "Hey, I thought you were going to ask Ash out before Misty?" I whispered.

"I can't do it here with everyone watching, I'm shy. Besides, Misty already has her teeth sunk in him. Most guys can't break free of her vice until _she_ decides its time." May said grimly.

_I hope Ash isn't most guys… as a matter of fact, I know he's not._

_**Ash's POV**_

_This girl is insane. At least now all I have to do is make it through one date and I'm good. Forever. I'm not taking any chances with this one. I will ask May if she would do a double date with Drew to make sure Misty doesn't do anything crazy._

Anyway, lunch ended and everyone headed to their respective arenas. On the way to the Trainer arena I spotted Brock.

"Hey Brock!" I yelled as I jogged over to him.

"Yo Ash, what's up?"

"Where were you at lunch?" I asked

"Well, there was some blue haired girl sitting where I normally would so…" He said

"Oh yeah, that's Dawn. Remember I said I had feelings for a girl? That's her." I said.

"Wow Ash, I must say she is gorgeous and that you my sir have good taste." Brock replied, almost proud. "But then what is the deal with going out with Misty this weekend?" he questioned.

"So you heard that?" I said with a frown. "Yup, saw every bit of it. Why would you accept that if you don't even like her? It's not right to lead her on." He said with every amount of seriousness he could muster.

"I know Brock, but we made an agreement. If I finally go on 1 date with her, she will stop asking me out forever." I said, matter-of-factly.

"I just hope you know what you're getting into. How did Dawn react to it?" he asked.

"Shit! I didn't even look at her the whole lunch." I grumbled with my head down. "This could be bad."

"That's only if she still has feelings for you now. Girls are a wonder of the universe and they operate in weird ways." Brock explained.

"Yeah, you're right…"

"Hey Ketchum, ready to get your ass whooped again today?"

Paul.

"Paul, our last 3 battles ended in a draw. Can we spend today _not_ battling?" I asked annoyed. But he knew that.

"Sure, I don't have a problem with that." He said.

"Really?"I asked confused.

"Yeah, it's understandable. Your too chicken and want to avoid losing your pride, so I respect that."

"Whatever Paul, I'm just not in the mood to battle. I have to think over some things." I walked off towards one of the benches to the side of the arena.

"Hmm. Wonder what's up his ass…?" Paul muttered, but I heard it and could care less about it at this point. I have to figure this whole situation out.

"Oh, by the way Ketchum,"

"Hmm?" I stopped walking to face him.

"I'm thinking of asking that _fine_ blue haired girl out. You seem to be friends with her, what's she like? I bet she is amazing in bed. Probably the best in school." He said with a smirk.

I stopped walking. Now whether he knew mine and Dawn's relationship or not, he knew he got to me. Pikachu sensed this and managed to pull me in, reminding me that I can't get into a fight with the Playoffs tomorrow.

"Paul." I said in a low voice. "Don't talk about her like that." I said with my head down. At this point my fists are shaking, and my whole body is probably trembling.

"What? About your friend being a nice piece of ass?" He retorted.

Pikachu or not, this wasn't going to fly. I snapped. I've never been this hyped up by Paul before. This time, there was no stopping me from whooping his ass. I charged at him and instantly threw a fist right into his temple. He fell back and I jumped on him managing a few hits before he rolled me over. He got in a hit, but I managed to block the next couple. By the time I had got back on top, about to wail on him, we were pulled apart by the supervisors of the arena. I bet you won't guess where we ended up after that.

I ended up with the left side of my face swollen and that's it. Paul had a red spot around his eye, no doubt it was gonna be black later and it looked like his nose was bleeding. _I totally whooped that ass…_

_**No POV**_

"Well you two, what do you have to say for yourself." Professor Oak asked.

"Well, Ketchum here obviously hit me first." Paul snarled.

"Only because you were talking shit about me and my friends." Ash retorted.

"Boys, you better calm down right now. I'd hate to have you both leave here in handcuffs…" Professor Oak said with a stern voice.

"Yes sir." Ash and Paul responded.

"As for punishment, you are both suspended for the rest of the week and are not allowed to attend any school events." He continued.

Ash raised his hand, "That means I can't play tomorrow night doesn't it?"

"That's exactly right."

"Damnit! At least it's not a good team…" Ash trailed off, disappointment evident. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do so I can play tomorrow" Ash pleaded.

"Well… there is always community service. Just come by the front of the school when the bell rings. Today we had planned to go pick up garbage in Viridian Forest and having 2 more people couldn't hurt." Professor Oak offered.

"I'll take it!" Ash eagerly accepted.

"Paul?" Professor Oak asked the purple haired boy.

"Sure, why not." Paul responded casually.

"Ok, you two are free to go. Remember, front of the school after the bell." The Professor reminded the boys.

_**May's POV**_

"WHAT! ASH AND PAUL GOT INTO ANOTHER FIGHT!" I yelled, scaring Brock half to death.

"Easy, don't shoot the messenger. But yeah, not sure what over. I left after Paul called Ash a chicken and they looked to talk a bit more before they finally fought." Brock explained.

"When I get my hands on either of them! I'm gonna-"I began before being interrupted by Brock "Shh, the only ones who know about this are the people in the Trainer Arena so keep it low for now."

"So, who won?" Drew asked. I just glared at him, shaking my head. "What, it's a guy thing to ask who won." He retorted.

"I hope Ash is okay." Dawn asked, almost seeming worried.

"Trust me; Ash is more than capable of taking care of himself, especially to an all talk, no walk douchebag like Paul." Drew said.

"Yea, but he will be suspended and won't be allowed to play tomorrow." I said with a frown. "We all know how important it is for him to take the team to the championship, I mean he promised it to the whole school at the Pep Rally we had before the season started."

No sooner than I said that, Ash came walking up with a bag of ice held up against the left side of his face.

"Oh my god! Ash, are you OK? What happened? Did you get suspended?" I felt all of these questions pouring out of me.

_**Dawn's POV**_

"Oh my god! Ash, are you OK? What happened? Did you get suspended?" May rattled those questions off like an auctioneer.

"Jeez, May. Can I get a chance to answer before you ask another question?" Ash asked sheepishly.

"Yes, explain to us why you acted like a dumbass and possibly risked not playing tomorrow for a fight with Paul." May retorted.

_Wow, she sure can change her mood rapidly. She went from worry to anger in an instant._

"Well, let's see. To begin with, I don't like the guy. And-"Ash began but was interrupted. "THAT'S HARDLY A REASON TO GET IN A FIGHT ASH!" May yelled. "May, let him finish." Brock tried to calm to her down.

"Thank you, Brock. Anyway, I told him that I didn't feel like battling him today, I had to clear my mind and such. He proceeded to call me a chicken and blah blah blah, but that's not the worst of it." Ash said in a low voice before looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes. "He started insulting Dawn, saying obscene things about her." Before pausing. "I don't know, I just snapped. That's when we fought and here I am now." He finished.

"What did he say about Dawn?" May asked him curiously.

"I'd rather not repeat it, besides I'm not sure Dawn wants to hear it anyw-"but I stopped him by putting my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell them. No need to worry right? It can't be _that_ bad can it?" I said with a fake smile. He gave me a warm smile back and continued.

"Well, here goes nothing." Ash sighed "He said 'I'm thinking of asking that _fine_ blue haired girl out. You seem to be friends with her, what's she like? I bet she is amazing in bed. Probably the best in school.'"

Ash was turning red again, whether it was from anger, blushing, or the fact he was just in a fight, I'm not sure. I'd have to say anger if anything, he appeared to shaking all over with clenched fists. It was almost scary.

"I told him to never talk about Dawn or any of my friends like that and he responded with 'What? About your friend being a nice piece of ass?' and I just snapped." Ash finished with his head hung low, still trembling all over.

The rest of the group was looking at the ground with looks of worry and concern. I, however, was just looking at Ash, on the verge of tears. I did the only thing that came to mind.

"Ash?" I said softly as I walked up. He stopped shaking and relaxed his fist. He slowly moved his head up and met my gaze, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. I mean May said he was caring of his friends and others, but I had no idea the lengths he would go to. He risked sitting out of one of the biggest games of the year, all because someone was insulting one of his friends. _Me. _I embraced him in a comforting hug and he returned the favor. I just buried my face in his chest and let every tear fall as they came.

"Thank you, Ash." I said in a soft, muffled voice.

"Hey, Dawn. No need to worry right?" He turned his head to face everyone "I want all of you to know that no matter what happens, I'm always gonna stand up and be there for you guys, through thick and thin." he stated with a heartwarming smile. I only tightened the embrace, "Uh, Dawn? I can't breathe." He squeezed out.

"Oh, sorry." I said with a slight smile. "So, I guess this means that you can't play tomorrow?" I asked softly with a frown.

"Not necessarily. Professor Oak offered me an opportunity to participate in some community service today with some other people afterschool. He said if I showed up, then he would lift the suspension and I could play tomorrow." He said.

"Good, I would feel terrible if you missed the game because of me…" I said softly.

"Dawn, did you just miss my speech or what?" he chuckled. "I told you no matter what, I'm gonna stick up for you guys, regardless of what happens."

_I know time does a lot to people, but I never thought that the little, mischievous boy from 10 years ago would end up being so kind, caring, and protective. He's PERFECT! I'm not worrying about May or Misty anymore; it's my turn to start making the moves._

_**May's POV**_

_That hug between Ash and Dawn was so CUTE! Paul, you mega douche! You weren't part of the plan yet your actions have put Ash and Dawn's relationship in motion so fast. Bravo, sir. I still hate you though._

"Ash?"

"Yes, May?" Ash responded.

"I want you to know that we're going to always be there for you as well. In fact, I am going to the community service with you today to show my appreciation." I said proudly.

"Me too." Dawn added.

"I'm going too." Brock said. Soon the whole group was all for going to help Ash with his "punishment" afterschool.

"Guys, you really don't have to do that, it's supposed to be _my_ punishment." Ash argued.

"Nope, we're going and that's final." I said matter-of-factly.

"Besides, how can it be _punishment _for something so _noble_?" Dawn asked in a flirty tone. What the hell? Is she actually flirting with him? The sweet and shy Dawn Berlitz was flirting with Ash Ketchum. She'd been better off flirting with a brick wall. She's a real trooper.

"Heh, well ,uh… i-it was n-nothin… really!" Ash said nervously, blushing all the while.

_Touché, Dawn. Way to get him on the ropes._

The bell rang and with that we proceeded to the front of the school to _Ash's_ punishment.

**Wow a lot went down in that chapter. I almost feel like it is rushed a little bit. **

**Please R&R and thanks for reading Chapter 6!**


	7. A Couple of Couple to be's

**Been a while huh? Things have been getting busy with my cousin moving down here and getting a part time job. I felt like with all of those distractions that my writing would suffer. I decided to let it settle a little bit before attempting the next chapter. Let me know if this chapter seems different as far as the writing style, because I'm not totally convinced that the distractions didn't throw me off.**

**Now that the details have been discussed, let's begin!**

_**Ash's POV**_

"WHAT!" Everyone relayed.

"Paul is gonna be out here too?" May asked, clearly upset at our companion in the trash pickup.

"Yea, Prof. Oak asked if he wanted in on it and he accepted." I calmly replied. "So can we agree to avoid any confrontations?"

"It's gonna be hard, but I'll try." May responded. Everyone else agreed that they would try their best and I can't expect much more than that.

We arrived at the front of the school to find Professor Oak standing on a rock about a foot and a half tall. In front of him were the delinquents and troublemakers of the school. They varied from big, burly guys with tattoos to the small but devilish looking guys. How people who looked like they should be in prison end up in high school is nothing short of a miracle. I mean some of these guys had to be at least 20 years old and still sophomores, it was simply baffling.

"Wow, those guys look really mean…" Dawn trailed off.

Even if they had failed several grades, they apparently had not lost their hearing ability, being as most of them turned to look at us after Dawn's statement. The biggest of the group began approaching Dawn and she began trembling as if it was automatic. Hell, I can't say that she didn't have a reason to, this guy was huge! At least 6'3", and nothing short of 225lbs. I did the only thing I knew to do and stepped in front of him to halt his progress. Luckily I had backup (although, not a whole lot) consisting of Brock and Drew.

"We don't want any trouble here, uh? What's your name again?" Drew asked.

"Doesn't concern you little man" the big guy said "besides, you won't remember it after I beat you and your friends into a pulp." He smirked. Just as he began his rampage upon us, something stopped him.

"Crusher, stop. They aren't worth your time. Besides, we'd hate to give Ketchum his second beat down of the day." Paul said with a smirk. The big guy looked at Paul in confusion. Paul then turned to look at us.

"Well, well, well. It seems as if the gang of misfits is here. I must admit, I didn't think you would drag your friends out here to help you."

"It was their choice Paul; I didn't force them to do anything!"

"Still, you almost got beat up again because of _troublesome_ over there." Paul looked towards Dawn and winked.

_**Dawn's POV**_

_Ew, did he just wink at me? _I shuddered at the thought. But there was truth in his statement. Ash almost got into another fight because of something _I_ said. I almost think I have become a burden of sorts. I guess I should just leave before something _else_ happens.

"May" I whispered. "Hmm?" she turned her attention away from the scene. "I think I'm just going to head home, before something else happens because of me…" I said. "I see…" she replied.

"Brock" May started, "You have a car right?" she asked. "Well, it's a truck but yea, I have a vehicle. Why?" he asked, confused.

"Dawn needs a ride home and I know Drew isn't about to leave Ash's side, so you need to give her a ride home." May stated.

Luckily Ash was still focused on Paul, so he didn't overhear the conversation May, Brock, and I were having.

"Oh, uhm, sure I guess." He said. "What about you?"

"Pfft, I'll be fine." May stated with confidence, waving off Brock's concern.

As Brock and I made our way to his truck, he decided he wanted to play 21 questions. I guess just to get to know me better. Once we arrived at the truck it was a silent ride to my house, other than the occasional directions I had to give. He pulled up to the house and as I was about to get out…

"You know, Ash told me that he had feelings for a friend of his." Brock said with a smile.

"Uhm, Brock? Why did you tell me that?" I asked, extremely curious.

"Because Dawn, even though I don't know you _that_ well, I don't want to see you get hurt." He said with a genuine smile.

_Why is he telling me this? Does he know I have feelings for Ash? Does he know who this 'friend' of Ash's is? _

"Did he say who this friend was?" I asked full of hope.

"He did, but I won't tell for the reason I stated." He said with seriousness.

_Damnit Brock! Now I'm going to be a nervous wreck! _

With that I walked into the house and up to my room and flopped down on my bed, hoping to be able to take a nap. Alas, found that I needed to talk to someone. The only problem? I had no one to talk to except for Piplup, but as usual he was sleeping anyway. Everyone else was still at the school. I decided to try and talk to Misty and Gary since they were the only ones that aren't picking up trash in the forest.

"I could try talking to Misty and probing her for information." I said to no one in particular. I opted out of that since she _was _going out with Ash this weekend. _Wait, is Misty the friend that Brock was talking about? _With that thought, my mind instantly recalled the nightmare I had the night before.

"I think I should call Gary. Maybe he has some useful information."

_**May's POV**_

As I watched Dawn and Brock head to Brock's truck, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. This was a lot to take in for the first few days of your new school, ya know? Now, she probably feels like she is just a thorn in everyone's side. I will call her later to talk about it. As for now, Ash and Paul's bickering has just shot my last nerve and before long I would be in the next fight.

"CAN YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT UP?" I yelled. Everyone was all eyes on me, wondering what was next to come. I calmed myself with a deep breath and began, "Ok, now that I have your attention, why don't we just get through this and you two can settle it in battle class tomorrow?" I reasoned.

"Fine" Ash replied

"Whatever." Paul said. He turned to head towards the professor to get his 'equipment', which consisted of a stick with a spike on the end used for poking the trash to pick it up, and a neon orange trash bag.

"Hey, where did Dawn and Brock go?" Drew asked, and now it was brought to Ash's attention.

"Oh, Dawn said she wasn't feeling too good and I asked Brock to give her a ride home"

"Oh." They said in unison. "So why did you stay? Things could've gotten pretty nasty" Drew asked.

_Aw, was he worried I would get hurt? That's so sweet! Sure he probably didn't mean it like that but hey… I'm a dreamer. _Either way, I felt a blush creep up to my cheeks.

"Well, I was the one who solved the problem right?" They nodded in agreement.

"I guess we should get started, eh?" Ash proposed. With that we walked over to the equipment and each got a set. We began at around 3:15 after the little scene we had and literally spent the rest of daylight picking up trash. At around 5:30, we headed to the parking lot and I hopped in the car with Drew and we waved bye to Ash as he headed back to his house.

_**Dawn's POV**_

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"Is this even a good idea?"

_*Ring* *Ring*_

"C'mon Gary, pick up the phone before I change my mind."

_*Ring* *Ring*_

"The hell with this, I can't go through with it" I finally said, giving up on my mission.

"Yo Dawn, what's up?" _Damnit!_

"Oh, uh, hi Gary" I said surprised and now nervous that he actually answered. There was a pause and now it got really awkward.

"So… Did you need anything?" He asked, utterly confused.

"I thought I did, but now I'm fine." I said, faking a smile to the best of my abilities.

"Hmm, sure seems like you need my help." He stated confidently.

"Oh yeah, well what exactly makes you think that?" I huffed, not sure whether to be grateful or insulted.

"Because I just called your bluff, why else would you call _me _to tell me nothing is wrong." He explained.

"Hmph. For your information everyone except for you and Misty are picking up trash in Viridian Forest."

"Oh, well that explains why I was the only in the parking lot after school. Why?" Gary asked. Guess he didn't keep up with Ash as much as I thought. Then again, I've never seen him afterschool _except_ in the parking lot.

"Ash and Paul got into a fight. Professor Oak offered Ash the forest pickup as a replacement for his suspension. Ash accepted so he could play tomorrow. We met him during battle class, just before school let out and he gave us a spe-""-ech about being there for all his friends, yada, yada, yada, I know. He said the same thing when me and Drew each got into fights with some guys. We kinda, sorta, drug Ash into it with us. He didn't mind apparently since he gave that speech but it's whatever, it's just how Ash is." Gary interrupted.

"Oh wow." I muttered.

"So why did you call?"

"Oh, it's nothing really." I flashed a fake smile.

"Well, it sure seems like something." _Dawn, he won't let you off the hook until he gets an answer…_

"Uh, well…_ quick think of something! _Your grandpa does Pokémon poetry right? _Nice one._

"He's actually a Professor first, poet second. But yes, he does. Why?" Gary asked, dumbfounded by the question. _Jeez, Gary! Can we just hang up now?_ "I was just wondering… if he could write a poem about my Piplup?" I asked sheepishly. _I need to get better at this "lying" thing._

"Uhm, sure? Is it for a project at school?"

"No, I just wanted a poem for Piplup and I recall seeing Prof. Oak on TV. I figured I'd ask his grandson for this favor." I replied with a wink.

"Well… I guess I better go, I sorta have company." He motioned his head to the room he was in.

"Gare Bear, you still on the phone?"

"Gare Bear?" I said with a smirk. His face went as pink as a Cherubi.

"I'm about to leave if you don't hurry up. We'll never finish our _research _if you don't get off the phone." said the mystery being, putting emphasis on _research_.

"Uh, well, ya see… I gotta go!" He blushed furiously and hung up quickly.

_That sounded like Zoey, but why would she be at Gary's house, unless… Nah, surely not. _I just giggled to myself and began to walk back to the couch. I thought over my weak attempt at a conversation with Gary. _Really Dawn, asking about Pokémon Poetry? How lame._

_**May's POV**_

"It has been a hell of a week so far." Drew stated as he continued on the way to my house.

"I know right? First we get a new girl, then find out she's Ash's long lost friend. Throw that on top of Ash going out with Misty this weekend and getting into a fight with Paul, its mayhem! And it's only Wednesday!" I exclaimed. "I just hope the next 2 days go by without a hitch. I mean how am I supposed to cook up a plan to get Ash and Dawn together with all of these distractions?"

"May, I thought we discussed this?" Drew asked sternly.

"I know. I just want it to happen so badly. I'm not even sure why. I guess it's because I sort of feel sorry for Dawn and know that of all of us, Ash could be the most supportive. The fact they are old friends just makes my job easier." I smirked.

"Here's an idea," Drew started. "How about you stop worrying about Ash and Dawn and work on starting your own relationship. You worry about other people so much that you are neglecting yourself."

"Why is there something wrong with me?" I snarled, giving him the meanest look I could fathom.

"N-no, it's just that you are so engulfed in Ash and Dawn that you won't take the time to stop and think about yourself."

_Was he right? Am I ignoring myself? I mean sure, I probably could've dressed better the last couple of days. I haven't exactly been myself either. I've been getting super mad over the smallest things._

"I guess I haven't been myself at all…"I muttered under my breath.

"Huh?" Drew asked with a confused look. "Nothing" I responded. "C'mon May, I know something is up. Did I finally get through to you?" he said with a victorious smirk. I just ignored it.

"Have I been acting different? Other than the constant Ash and Dawn talk?" I asked. _I guess if even Drew could see it, it was noticeable enough._

"Well, you haven't exactly been the same May Maple that everyone has come to know and love. You seem a little more, how to put it, _on edge_, lately. You've been ready to tear someone a new one over everything. It's almost scary. Which leads me back to where we started, what's going on May?" he asked with concern.

I really didn't like talking about this but; I guess I can't hold it in forever.

"Well it starts like this..."I began as we came to a stop in front of my house.

_***Flashback***_

_It's 4 years ago this July, and I'm back in my old house in Petalburg City. I was out playing with Max, who was 10 at the time, I was 12. The sun was setting and we had decided we should begin heading back inside before our parents started to worry. As we came near, I could hear yelling and screaming; I immediately thought the worst. I rushed to the back door, expecting to find my parents murdered or something. I guess imagination is wonders when you watch the news and horror movies enough. Anyway, I heard something smash against the wall and walked up the stairs. The yelling had subsided and now all that could be heard was a soft sobbing noise coming from my parent's room. I peeked in the door and found my mom sitting on the other side of the bed, holding a picture frame. Then, my dad came out of the bathroom and had the meanest look on his face._

_At this point, I was scare and worried. Part of me wanted to rush in there and ask my mom what was going on, but at the same time I was scared of that look my dad held. He tossed the duffle bag he held onto the bed. That's when he said the 4 words that no child wants to hear from their parents._

"_I want a divorce." He said. My mom didn't even counter it! She just nodded her head slowly in understanding._

"_I'm sorry it came to this but… I can't do it anymore." He said as he began walking towards the door. "I'll be staying at a hotel until you move your stuff out."_

_I turned around as fast as I could and ran down the hallway so I didn't get caught. I got to the steps when I ran into Max, who was on his way to his room. We tumbled down the steps and crashed hard at the bottom. I heard footsteps coming down the hall and heard mom and dad call down the stairs._

"_May, Max! Are you okay?" Mom asked as she rushed down the steps. Dad slowly followed. "You two should really be more careful before you get hurt." He said as he kneeled down next to Max. "You two know I love you right?" he asked. We nodded, still feeling sore from rapidly descending stairs in an undesired fashion. We nodded slowly, I was rubbing my head. "That's good. I love you two, too. More than you know, but I need you to understand something." He was tearing up now. I've never seen my dad cry other than when grampa died. "Your mother and I, we're just not the way we used to be." I looked at mom and she was crying aswell. "That is why, I am leaving." We both looked at him in shock and Max instantly teared up and jumped at him. "Max, son, I need you to stop crying, please. You're the new man of the house and you have to be strong. You have to take care of your mother and sister and protect them at all costs, do you understand? I know I am not exactly the best role model for that behavior, but I have all my faith in you, and that you will fulfill it to the best of your ability." _

_Max continued crying and looked up to his eyes. "Don't worry dad, I promise." Max replied trying to wipe his eyes, only for fresh tears to fall. Dad then turned to me. He had the softest expression I thought wasn't possible for someone who used to be a hardened gym leader. "May, I know things must be confusing right now, but I'm sure your mother will explain it to you. I want you to be the best you can be, at whatever path you choose. I know you will succeed with your determination and creativity." With that he stood up and walked to the door, turned around and forced out a "Goodbye" with a soft smile._

_He left Me, Max, and my mother sitting there at the bottom of those steps, sobbing for what seemed like forever. The next day we began packing our stuff and by the end of the week we were here in Kanto, looking for somewhere to go._

_***End Flashback***_

"That's when we settled in the house we're in now and I showed up at middle school the following school year." I finished. I didn't know what to expect other than a barrage of questions so I braced myself for any that would come my way.

"May, how long have you been bottling that inside and why did you tell me of all people?" he asked.

"What makes you think I've been bottling it in?" I asked a little irritated at the question.

"Well for starters, you're still crying. I feel that if you've told this before it wouldn't be this emotional. I didn't mean to offend you if I did; it's just how I see it." Drew replied, concern filling every part of his beautiful emerald eyes. I eased up a bit. "So why did you tell me?" he continued.

"I…I-I guess it's because… I feel _comfortable_ around you? I'm not sure how to explain it…" I said. Why should I explain it? I don't know why I even said that. I don't even know what I meant by it.

_**Drew's POV**_

_Comfortable? What the hell does she mean by that? Surely she doesn't think… I'm gay? No, no way. Doesn't she see how every girl flirts with me? Maybe it looks different from a spectator view…_

"What do you mean by _comfortable?_" I asked.

"I'm not sure really… I guess you're just easy to talk to. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from you and you won't judge me. It's a nice feeling really." May said with a smile slowly forming its way across her face. God, I love her smile. I couldn't stand seeing how much she hurt during that story. I moved my hand on top of hers.

"Well, May, I'm glad you feel that way." I said with sincerity in my words. No sooner than I said that and saw her smile grow even wider, did I get lost in her eyes. Whether the same can be said for her, I don't know. I do know that she proceeded to stare me in the eyes and I could only assume she was feeling the same at this moment. I felt myself slowly move toward her, and she began to do the same. As we neared, I closed my eyes and waited for what I was sure would be the best feeling in the world.

"May! Are you gonna sit in that car all night or are you gonna come eat!" Max yelled. I don't mind the kid that much and get along with him, but damn he did he have the _best_ timing. I quickly opened my eyes and backed away, a little ticked off and nervous. May did the same and turned away. _Probably blushing…_

"Uhm, well, I guess I gotta go. Bye Drew, see you tomorrow!" May said and got out of the car. "Bye May" I said.

"Oh and Drew?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, for listening" she said.

"No problem." I said with a smile. She closed the door and ran to her house, yelling at Max the whole time. I drove home, deep in thought over what May had told me.

_Her dad just left them one day, out of the blue. At least that's what I get from it, I'm sure there's details missing but I'll wait for her to _tell_ me, not _force _it out of her. How does that story affect how she's been acting lately? Maybe her dad's birthday is coming up? Maybe the divorce was finalized around this time? Or even worse… he died around this time in those 4 years… Poor May. _I couldn't help but frown at the thoughts. One thought remained untouched by my mind during the last half hour, but now it came back as I was processing everything that happened.

_Why is she so interested in Ash and Dawn's relationship? _

**Viola! Chapter 7! **

**I just felt it necessary to state that I have no problem with homosexual people. I wasn't sure if anyone would be offended by my use of the term 'gay' in the story so I wanted to clear it up beforehand. Also, other than the Contestshippy part at the end, this chapter felt more like filler. Sorry about that…**

**Of course, R&R and enjoy!**


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